When The Ball Drops
by willgirl
Summary: Second in a Year in the Life Series. Comes after A Family Christmas. Will Booth & Brennan take the next step?
1. Prologue

**A/N: Ahh!!! So sorry, I forgot to post! I've been so crazy busy! So I'm going to post this very short epilogue and the first chapter all at once! I hope you like it! Thanks to everyone for the reviews! I appreciate it!**

As she walked towards the door, her hands were shaking. He had come back. 'But for what?' she thought to herself. "What can I possibly give him?' She knew that it could never work. They were too different. They wanted different things. Except… she wanted him. From the moment they met, she had been trying to push away these feelings. At first she thought it was sexual attraction. That was definitely there. But when he came charging into that warehouse to save her from Kenton, she saw the look in his eyes and tried to mask what her own eyes were saying. That she loved him. He had saved her life and helped discover what happened to her family. He was always there for her.

But there was too much at stake. What if the FBI split them up? She couldn't live without their partnership. She would just have to tell him that it was a mistake. Even though she knew in her heart that it was the farthest thing from a mistake. But logically it was the right thing to do.

She grabbed the handle, turned it and opened the door. "Angela!" she said in surprise, looking at the person standing on her stoop.


	2. Denial

Chapter One: Denial

"Hi Sweetie." Angela said, walking in the door. She looked out into the hallway again in case Booth was standing behind her.

"Who are you looking for?" Angela asked.

"Ummm… I just didn't know if Jack was with you." She stammered.

"Nope." Angela said. "Just me."

She shut the door and turned and looked at Angela. "So, Ange" she said. "What do you want?"

"Well." Angela replied. "I know you dislike Christmas and all that, and I know it was a big step to have the gift exchange here, but Jack and I were wondering if you wanted to spend Christmas with us. "

"Ummm, Ange." She started.

"I know, I know, you don't do Christmas." Angela interrupted. "But we really aren't doing much at all. Just watching Christmas movies tomorrow and having turkey dinner on Monday. C'mon I really want you there."

"I would be interrupting you and Hodgins." She replied.

"No you wouldn't. I swear." Angela said pleadingly. "C'mon. You get to see Jack's gigantic house. And he has a really big library, so you can spend all your time reading books if you want. And we are going to go snowshoeing!"

She was about to say no when a thought sprang to her mind. 'I wouldn't have to talk to Booth.' She could turn her cell phone off and not talk to him for at least another day or two. She could put some distance between them. She knew that if had come charging through that door, she would have kissed him and much more. And she wasn't ready for that. She wasn't ready for things to change. 'Maybe with a few days to calm down' she mused to herself.

'Sweetie? You okay?' Angela said, waving a hand in her face.

"Umm yeah" she replied. "And yes I will come."

"Really?' Angela squealed. "K. Go pack your bag."

She walked into the bedroom and started grabbing some clothes to take with her.

"You watched White Christmas?" she heard Angela ask from the other room.

"Yeah." She replied. "Booth said I should watch it so I did. It's good." She didn't add that he had said that about one minute before she had practically jumped him in the snow. She heard Angela say something back but she wasn't sure what it was. She was too busy replaying that kiss in her mind. She could feel her cheeks go red.

'Temperance Brennan.' She thought to herself. 'You're acting like a schoolgirl. Stop it.' She was glad Angela was in the other room and couldn't see her blushing. She quickly threw her clothes and toiletries into her bag and headed back into the living room.

"I'm ready." She said.

"Why are your cheeks flushed?" Angela asked, looking at her strangely.

"Ahh, they are?" she stuttered. "I guess it's hot in here."

'Damn Booth!' she thought the herself as she grabbed her jacket. 'Damn him and that perfect kiss.'

"Let's go sweetie." Angela said. "Don't worry. I won't make you do anything you don't want to do."

"Yeah right!." She laughed, shutting her door and locking it.

She followed Ange down the stairs and out to the car, trying to push thoughts of Booth out of her mind. 'Besides,' She thought. 'He didn't come back. It must mean that the kiss didn't mean anything to him.'

It was a perfectly logical thought. But her heart crushed a little when she realized it might be true.

* * *

A/N: Wow. I just read that over and noticed how many times Angela said sweetie. groans I may have to reconsider this no editing thing. 


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, apparently at this point I stopped coming up with titles! Oh well! I hope everyone is enjoying this. I wanted to promo a little something. I'm writing an original story called The Antique Desk and I've posted the prologue and the first chapter over at fictionpress. The link is in my profile if you are interested in checking it out! Okay on to the story! **

Chapter Two

Special Agent Seeley Booth was pacing. And that was something he never did. He usually made decisions quickly, therefore eliminating the need for pondering. But this was different. This was her.

"Bones." He whispered to the empty room. It had been about three hours since she had kissed him outside her apartment. He hadn't seen it coming.

I mean yes, obviously he knew they were attracted to each other. Hell, he knew he was falling in love with her. But if he went over there, everything would change. What if she pushed him away? Said it was a mistake? He knew damn well it wasn't a mistake. A kiss like that could never be a mistake. It wasn't even the kiss that confirmed her feelings for him. It was the look in her eyes before she kissed him. It was a mixture of passion and vulnerability, like she was opening herself up to him and showing him her true self.

'Right' he thought to himself. He grabbed his jacket and keys and head out the door. He was going to go over there and tell her. Tell her that he had been in love with her basically since they met. But it wasn't till Kenton, when he had almost lost her that he realized he loved her. And he spent the rest of the year pretending that he didn't love her. He had gotten pretty good at it too. He had slept with Rebecca and Cam, hoping that would push her out of his mind. But it didn't work.

He grabbed the handle of his car door and hesitated. She had been through so much this year. Being buried alive and her family. Maybe he shouldn't… 'No.' he thought to himself. 'Now is the time to tell her.'

He got in the car and started to drive over to her apartment. He had driven there so many times that he barely had to look where he was going. He flicked on the radio and started to laugh as the sound of Foreigner filled the car. 'I hope that's a sign.' He mused to himself.

He reached her apartment and looking up, noticed her lights weren't on. He ran up the steps and into her apartment building. A few seconds later he was at her door. He took a deep breath and knocked. There was no answer.

"Bones?' he said. "Bones, its me. We need to talk." He knocked but didn't hear anything. He grabbed his cellphone and pressed the number one.

"You've reached the voicemail of Dr. Temperance Bre.." He snapped the phone shut. She was either avoiding him or something was wrong. Either way, he knew who would have the answer. He punched in some numbers and waited for the phone to ring.

"Hello?" he heard the voice on the other end say.

"Angela, its Booth." He said. "Is Bones with you?"

"Yeah." Angela replied. "She's staying with me and Jack for a couple of days. She's on a tour of the house with Jack right now. Thanks for softening her up with the skating and such. She is actually spending Christmas with us."

"She is ?" he replied. 'She's avoiding me' he thought to himself. "Well that's great? Umm, could you get her to call me?" he asked. "Her cell is off."

"That's strange." Angela said. "She never has it off. Is something going on between you two?"

"No." he exclaimed. "Why would you say that?"

"Bren was just acting a little bit strange before." Angela replied.

"uh, well she was fine when I left. Just tell her I called, okay?" Booth said.

"Okay." Angela said. "Have a good Christmas Booth."

"You too Angela." Booth said. He snapped his cellphone shut and stared at her apartment door dejectedly.

"I guess I just got my answer." He said, turning and walking back out of her building.


	4. The Phonecall

**A/N: SORRY! I apologize for the lateness, I've been sick for like 5 days and feeling vomitous! I'm feeling better now so I thought I'd better get posting this chapter. (And writing my other stuff.) It's a shortie but there will be a new one tomorrow. I promise!**

Chapter Three: The Phone call

Brennan woke up with a start. 'Where am I?' she thought to herself. 'What time is it?' She rubbed her eyes and looked around.

'Right'. She thought to herself. 'Hodgin's place.' She heard a faint knock on her door.

"Come in." she said. The door opened and Angela walked in.

"Hey Sweetie." Angela said. "Don't get up. I just came to tell you that Jack and I are haeding out for a bit."

"What time is it Ange?" she croaked.

"Almost noon." Angela replied. "Clearly you needed the sleep."

"Noon!" she said, sitting up straight and starting to get out of bed.

"Whoa, calm down." Angela said. "It's Christmas Eve. You don't have to work."

"Ange, I don't think I have ever slept in until noon before." She said, lifting her head and patting down her messy hair.

"Yeah if Booth could see you now." Angela chuckled.

"Oh god, Booth." She said, slumping back on the bed.

"Sweetie, I am not leaving until you tell me what's going on." Angela said, coming to sit beside her on the bed. "I knew something was up when he called. His voice sounded really sad at the end."

She felt tears welling in her eyes. "Please, Angela." She said. "Don't make me tell you now. I will tell you everything later, just not now."

"Okay." Angela said, giving her a hug. "Hey, Jack and I are going snowshoeing if you are interested."

"No thanks, Ange." She replied.

"Well, we will be back in a couple of hours." Angela said, heading for the door. "And Bren?"

"Yeah." She replied.

"Call him." Angela said. She watched as Angela walked out the door and shut it behind her.

'Call him.' She thought to herself. 'What would I say?' She knew she had to do it now before she lost her nerve and talked herself out of it. She rummaged through her bag and found her cellphone. Before she could think about it, she dialed his number. The phone rang and rang and then went to voicemail. Suddenly she didn't know what to do.

"Hi, you've reached the voicemail of Seeley Booth…" the message started. A few seconds later it beeped.

"Umm, hi." She said anxiously. "It's me. I heard that you called. Sorry my cell was off. I'm at Hodgin's for a couple of days."

'Stop stalling.' She thought to herself.

"So listen, yesterday was…um… what I'm trying to say is that yesterday was nice. The skating and everything. So thank you. And I'm sorry I didn't mean to… the kiss was… I'm sorry. I'll see you when I get back to work."

She hung up quickly. That is not what she meant to say at all. She wanted to tell him that it was a mistake, but the words wouldn't come out. Now what was she going to do.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I can't believe I haven't posted in four days! That's no excuse! I wrote this story last year! Geez time flies! Anyway, I'm going to post two chapters tonight, just because! I hope you like!**

Booth grabbed his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his apartment door. He had a hard time opening the door, what with bags in one hand and a sleeping boy in the other. He dropped the bags and went and lay Parker down on the couch. He noticed his cellphone sitting on the coffee table. In his excitement to pick Parker up he had forgotten it. Rebecca called and asked him to pick him up at noon instead of four. They had spent the rest of the day at the park, throwing snowballs and swinging on the swings. He hoped that no one had called him regarding a case.

He flipped it open and saw that he had one message. He groaned. 'I hope its not a case.' He thought to himself. He punched in his password and started listening to the message. "Umm, hi. It's me" he heard Bones say. He heart started to beat faster. He listened to the rest of the message, unaware that he had begun to pace back and forth. The message ended and he began to smile. He had heard it in her voice. She had tried to say it was a mistake and she couldn't.

'That means she must have some feelings for me, right?' he asked himself. 'Now if she would only admit them.'

"Daddy?" Parker said, sitting up from the couch.

"Hey bub" he said, going over to the couch. "Want some dinner?"

"Yeah!" Parker said excitingly. "Do we get to have turkey yet?"

"No" he laughed. "Turkey is tomorrow. But how about some Christmas Eve tacos?"

"Yeah, can we?" Parker said.

"Absolutely." he replied. "I will go make them. Why don't you play with one of your toys that you got yesterday."

"Okay. I want to dig the bones." Parker said. "Can I?"

"Sure." he said. "Let's get the box and set it up." Once Parker was set up, he started making the tacos. As the meat was browning, he looked over at his son and stifled a laugh. Parker was squinting. He had an intense look on his face, not dissimilar from the one Bones usually wore. He was carefully digging at the rock to retrieve the rest of the bone.

"Daddy?" Parker said, looking up from the bone. "Can Dr. Bones come eat turkey with us tomorrow?"

"She can't." he replied. "She's already having turkey with Hodgins and Angela."

"Oh." Parker said, frowning. "I wanted to her come with us."

"Yeah me too, bub." He replied, turning back to the stove.

"She gives good hugs." Parker said. "And she's pretty."

"Yeah." He said, wistfully. He went to the fridge and got out the rest of the taco stuff. As he cut up the tomato, he thought about what he should do next. What he wanted to do was to go over to Hodgins, break down the door, pull her into his arms and kiss her.

'That definitely would frighten her off.' He thought to himself. Maybe he should wait until she was ready to come to him. After all, they did have to see each other in a couple of days at work. She would have to talk to him. She was really good at avoiding things she didn't want to talk about though. And he didn't want to wait. He just…wanted her. He shook his head and broke out of his reverie.

"Dinner's ready." He said to Parker. "Why don't we take the tacos and go watch a Christmas movie?"

"Can we watch Rudolph?" Parker said.

"Of course." He replied, handing him his plate. They went into the living room and put on Rudolph. He watched his son eating his taco and laughing at the funny parts in the movie. He could barely remember his life without Parker. 'Him and Bones' he thought to himself. 'The two people who have changed my life."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow, I didn't realize this was a long one! You are in for a treat! And thank you, thank you, thank you to all my reviewers!**

She was having a good day. For her this was surprising, considering that it was Christmas and she didn't usually celebrate it. But here she was, at Hodgins' place, drinking cider and playing board games. Angela and Hodgins had been great. After they came back from snowshoeing yesterday they had dinner and watched Christmas movies.

Today had been the same. She had woken up before everyone else and gone for a walk in the snow. She had thought about her mom and dad and Russ. She still didn't know how she felt about them. She loved them and missed them but was still angry at them. She had let her mind get taken over with thoughts of Booth. She thought about what he would be doing today. "Having Christmas with Parker will make him so happy.' She had thought to herself. 'He deserves to be happy.'

And now it was the afternoon and the smell of turkey was wafting from the kitchen. She was discovering new things about her friends, such as the fact that despite being the sole owner of the Cantilever group, Hodgins sucked at Monopoly. She laughed as she watched Angela take more money from Hodgins.

"It's not that funny." Hodgins muttered.

"Actually it is." Angela replied, an evil grin on her face.

"Yeah well let's play Clue next." Hodgins retorted. "Then we will see who is the best."

"You're kidding me right?" Angela said. "Bren is totally going to beat you."

"Me?" she said. "Why?"

"Because Clue is all about figuring out clues and finding the truth." Angela said. "And that's what you and Booth do all day long."

'Oh jeez." Hodgins said. "She is going to beat me." They all broke into laughter.

She didn't get to find out whether she would have beaten Hodgins at Clue or not, because the turkey was done and it was time for dinner. They declared Angela the winner of Monopoly and sat down to eat. The food was amazing and she ate until she was so full she wasn't sure if she could move.

"Jack that was excellent." She said.

"Yeah it was awesome." Hodgins replied. "I will tell the staff you liked it. Any one for seconds?"

"God no!" Angela said, rubbing her stomach. "I feel like I am in a turkey coma."

"Ange, I don't know what that means." She said. "What is a turkey coma?"

"I am too tired to explain it now." Angela replied.

"Why don't you too go into the den and I will bring some coffee." Hodgins said.

She got up and followed Angela into the den and sat down on the couch.

"So…" Angela said drowsily, her eyes half-closed.

"I kissed Booth." She blurted out.

"What?" Angela shouted, her body springing forward and her eyes opening wide. "When? What happened?"

She took a deep breath. "It was after the gift exchange. We had dinner and he was leaving. He took me outside to see the snow fall and then I kissed him."

"Then what happened?" Angela said.

"I turned and walked back into the apartment." She replied. "We haven't spoken since. I left him a message this morning but.."

"You need to go there now." Angela said.

"Ange." She replied. "I don't.."

"Do you think it was a mistake?" Angela interrupted.

"No." she said softly.

"Then you have to go tell him." Angela said. "He's probably freaking out right now."

"Who's freaking out?" Hodgins said, as he came in with the coffees.

"Brennan has to go, don't you Bren" Angela said, staring at her.

If she went there, it could be the end of their friendship. Their partnership meant everything to her. But on the other hand, it could be more. She knew in her brain what her heart had been trying to tell her. That he was the one.

"Umm, yeah." She replied. " I have to go."

Angela let out a loud squeal and grabbed her and hugged her. "Thank god sweetie! Jack can you go get her stuff?"

Hodgins nodded and left the room, looking utterly confused.

"I won't tell Jack if you don't want me to." Angela said.

"No, its okay." She replied. "Just keep it quiet from everyone else." She suddenly felt sick. "Ange, what do I do? What do I say?"

"Just tell him how you feel." Angela said. "You will figure it out."

Hodgins came back in the room with her bag along with her coat and hat.

"I'm going to see Booth." She explained to him.

"I figured as much." Hodgins replied. "Good luck."

"Thanks." She said, walking towards the door. "And thank you. Both of you. I had a good day yesterday and today. I haven't had Christmas like this in a long time."

"No problem, sweetie." Angela said as she hugged her. "Now go get him!"

A thought suddenly occurred to her. "I would but I don't have my car. You drove me here, remember?"

"Here." Angela said, handing her the keys to her car. "Take my car."

"Thanks." She replied. And with that she walked outside and headed to Angela's car. She got in the car and started driving down Hodgin's huge driveway.

'What am I doing?' she thought to herself. 'This is the most irrational, illogical thing I have ever done. What am I supposed to say to him? Hi Booth, I just realized that kiss was the best I ever had and I might be in love with you?' Her mind kept churning and her stomach started to feel nauseous. After 20 mins, she had arrived outside his apartment building. His light was still on, so she knew he was up. She sat in the car for ten minutes, unsure of what to do. Finally she summoned the courage to go in.

"I need to talk to you." She said, coming in the door.

"Okay." He replied. He stood there looking at her, unsure about what to do next.

"It wasn't a mistake." She said, fiddling with her fingers.

"Wait, what did you say?" he asked, incredulously.

"The kiss." She replied. "It wasn't a mistake. Wait do you think.."

"Temperance, that kiss was the best thing that happened to me all year." He interrupted.

"Really?" she said, a shy look on her face.

"Yes, really." He replied, as he bent down to kiss her. His lips touched hers softly. He grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him. She leaned in farther, allowing him to deepen the kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck. The kiss seemed to go on forever, until finally they pulled away, gasping for air.

"Wow." She said, flicking her fingers through his hair.

"Yeah." He replied. "So anything else you want to say?" He grinned.

"Well actually.." she started. "We need to…"

"Talk about this." He finished. "I know. Want a beer?"

"Sure." She replied.

"Umm, Bones?" he said. "You're going to have to let go of me."

"Oh yeah." She said, pulling away from him and blushing.

He walked to the kitchen and grabbed two beers and brought them over the couch where she was now sitting. "So who wants to go first?" he asked.

"I will." She replied. "Just don't interrupt me until I'm done."

"Deal." He said.

"Okay, here goes." She said, nervously taking a sip of her beer. "I'm not a good girlfriend. Past boyfriends have told me that. For one thing, I work a lot. And if we got together, that wouldn't change. I love my job, you know that. I think you know more than anyone what it means to me. How it defines me. I can't let that go." She paused for a moment to take another sip of her beer.

"I don't want the typical things everyone else wants. I don't need marriage and I don't want children. And that is something that is unlikely to change. If you want a big house in the suburbs with lots of children, then we shouldn't even begin this, because I can't give that to you. I love Parker, but this is just how I feel."

She noticed him opening his mouth. "Wait, I'm not done." She said, holding up her hand to silence him.

"You know me. You know me better than anyone, even Angela and that scares me. I've always been good at being alone, but you make it hard. I feel…. dependent on you and that scares me the most. I've tried my whole life not to depend on anyone and then you came and now…" she trailed off. "Now I can't imagine you not being there. It's going to take me some time to work this out but I want to try. Even though there are so many things that will be a problem, like Cam, Rebecca, our work. I still want to try. Because this thing between us; I don't think it's just going to go away. So yeah, I'm done." She said, looking down at her lap.

"Temperance." He said, lifting her face up so that it met his. "I'm not completely idiotic. I know we will have obstacles and that's okay. Because I think we can do this. I know we are different but I think we are also pretty similar, when you come to think about it. We both love our job and feel our job defines part of us. We are both incredibly stubborn and like to get our own way. We both love to argue, especially with each other. "

"And the fact that you said you loved Parker means a lot to me. I can't explain in words what it means. He didn't like Tessa you know." He laughed. "But he loves you."

"I don't care about the house and all the children. I just want you." He reached up and stroked her cheek with his hand. "We will figure the rest out, I promise. We will make this happen. I think we owe it to ourselves."

"Yeah. But we need to go slow." She said. "We need to make it right."

"Absolutely." He replied. "Which reminds me, what are you doing tomorrow?

"Ahh, I'll be at the lab all day, why?" she asked, looking puzzled.

"Because I would like to take you out on a date tomorrow night." He replied.

"Oh." She said shyly. "Yeah, I'd love to."

"Sounds good. Pick you up at 7?" he asked.

"Where, at the lab?" she said, looking panicked. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Don't worry. Cam won't be there. Besides I'll say we have a case or something. Please." He said, flashing his charm smile.

"Fine." She said, throwing her hands up in defeat.

"Good." He replied. They sat in silence for a few more minutes.

"Well, I should go." She said, rising from the couch.

"Yeah. I need to go to bed." He replied. "I have a hot date tomorrow night!"

"Oh?" she said, slapping his arm and laughing as she passed him. "With who?"

"Well, my partner of two years finally let me ask her out. She's the most beautiful person I have ever met." He said, moving closer to her.

"Seeley." She replied, blushing again.

"Temperance." He whispered, slipping his hand around her waist and pulling her closer. He pressed his lips against hers and she melted in his arms. He pulled away and whispered into her ear; "Merry Christmas Bones."

"Merry Christmas Booth." She replied, as she disentangled herself from him and headed out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: SORRY! I keep forgetting to post this! Here's the next chapter!**

She walked into the lab not expecting to see anyone. After all it was boxing day. And it was six o'clock in the morning. Even Angela wouldn't come find her that early. She barely slept the night before. She kept think about what happened. She had kissed him and then she went over and they kissed again. And now she had a date. With Seeley Booth. Her partner. She sat down at her desk and turned her computer on. She needed to focus and stop thinking about it. She pulled up the last chapter she had written and soon became engrossed in her story.

* * *

Seeley Booth sat at his desk with his head in his hands. He hadn't slept at all. He kept thinking about Temperance. The last few days were crazy, what with the kiss and then her coming back last night. He honestly didn't expect that. He thought she would pretend it never happened or refuse to talk about it. But she said she wanted to try. 'And she didn't even flinch when I said I loved her.' He thought to himself.

So now he was taking her out a on a date tonight. The only problem was that he had no idea what to do. Obviously dinner was a good idea but where? And was that enough? Should they do something else? He had never stressed out about taking a woman out before. But this was different. This was Temperance. He desperately wanted to show her that this was the right choice. That this relationship could work. He snapped out of his reverie and looked at his desk. There was paper everywhere. He had definitely fallen behind. He grabbed the papers out of his inbox and started sorting through them. His eyes fell upon an envelope. He opened it and pulled out a card. It was an invitation to one of the Jeffersonian's donor events, which was going to be held on New Year's Eve. 'I guess the squint squad got me invited.' He thought to himself. A vision of him and Bones on the dance floor swirled around in his head.

There was a knock at his door and he looked up. "Come in." he said. The door opened and Cullen walked in.

"Booth, I need to see the completed paperwork on the Myers case on my desk by tomorrow." Cullen said.

"I'm almost finished sir." He replied.

"I see you've received the invitation to the New Year's event." Cullen said. "So did I."

"You sir?" Booth questioned.

"Yes I received an invitation. Laura and I weren't going to go but she changed her mind." Cullen said. "Well that's all Agent Booth." He turned and walked out the door.

He cursed under his breath and ran his fingers through his hair. Cullen was going to be there. He was unsure how to breach the fact that he was dating his partner to Cullen. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't like it. The FBI had a rule about it, and even though Bones wasn't FBI, she was pretty damn close. He shook the thought out of his head. He needed to focus. He had more important things to think about. Like where he was going to take Bones for dinner tonight.

* * *

"Bren!" Angela said, barging into her office. "Tell me everything!"

She turned away from her desk and started to laugh. She figured Angela would have been here earlier. It was almost 4 o'clock. "What are you talking about?" she said, coyly.

"Oh my god!" Angela said, pacing back and forth frantically. "You and Booth! What happened?"

"If I promise to tell you, you have to do two things for me." She said.

"Anything." Angela replied.

"First of all you can't tell anyone." She said. "Secondly, you need to help me decide what to wear on my date tonight." Her words had the desired effect.

Angela started jumping up and down and squealing loudly. "A date!" she yelled. "You're going on a date with Booth!" Angela grabbed her and enveloped her in a huge hug.

"Ange, I can't breathe," she said.

"Sorry." Angela replied, pulling away and sitting down on the couch. "Now start from the beginning."

"Only if you promise not to squeal after every sentence." She replied, sitting next to her on the couch.

"I promise." Angela said. "Now start."

"Well." She began. "I went over there and told him the kiss wasn't a mistake. He said it was the best thing that happened to him all year and then he kissed me."

"How was it?" Angela asked, barely containing her excitement.

"It was.." she paused. "Perfect."

"Oh sweetie." Angela said, squeezing her hand.

"And then we talked and he asked me out on a date tonight." She said. "Then he kissed me again and I left."

"Wow." Angela said. "I don't know what to say."

"Really Ange?" She said, laughing. "That usually doesn't happen."

"I'm just so happy for you." Angela said tears in her eyes. "And I think I'm a little shell shocked. I mean after all, I have been trying to get you two together for two years!"

"I know." She replied. "What will occupy your time now?"

"Well, I think Hodgins might be useful in that area." Angela said.

"Angela!" she replied, pretending to look shocked. "So are you going to help me or not?"

"Absolutely." Angela said. "What are you doing?"

"I have no idea." She replied. "But he is picking me up here at 7. I figured I'd just wear this but.."

"Then you came to your senses." Angela interrupted. "Let's go."

"What? Where?" she said.

"Your apartment." Angela replied. "We need to get your outfit for your date. We will grab all of your stuff and come back here and I will help you get ready. C'mon, it will be fun. Besides, I know you haven't been working."

"Okay, fine." She replied, knowing that Angela wouldn't have stopped bothering her until she said yes.

Fifteen minutes later, she was at the apartment, watching Angela rummage through all of her clothes.

"Angela, you're making a mess." She said.

"Well, I can't help it Bren." Angela replied. "We have to find the perfect dress. Now go take a shower while I keep looking."

Knowing that it was pointless to argue, she walked into the bathroom. She turned on the hot water and just before stepping into the shower, she looked at her self in the mirror. She looked different. It wasn't her physical appearance, that remained the same. But something about herself looked different. 'I'm happy.' She thought to herself. 'He makes me happy.'

She stepped into the shower. She still couldn't get over what she had done. She had told herself for two years that Booth was nothing more than her partner. And now she was going out on a date with him. He had waited for her. Waited for her to be ready. Even though he was with Tessa, then Rebecca and then Cam, she knew that in his heart he was just waiting for her. She felt her stomach flip flop. She was nervous. Yes, they had gone out to dinner plenty of times but this was a date. It was entirely different. 'Calm down.' She thought to herself. 'It's Booth. It will be fine.' She got out of the shower and dried herself off. She put her clothes back on and walked into the bedroom.

"Bren, where in god's name did you get this dress?" Angela said, holding a dress in her arms.

"I got it a long time ago." She replied. "But I never got the chance to wear it."

"Well here's your chance." Angela said. "You have to wear this tonight"

She looked at the dress. She had forgotten she had it. It was a simple dress. It had a halter top and scooped down in the back, leaving most of her back exposed. It was a deep burgundy colour which seemed to compliment her. "Do you think it's too much?" she asked Angela.

"Absolutely not." Angela replied. "Booth will die when he sees you in this dress."

"Wait? Die? That doesn't make sense Ange." She said, confused.

"Nevermind, sweetie." Angela replied. "Now we have to pick out the accessories."

"My mother's earrings." She said automatically. "And Booth's necklace."

"Booth's necklace?" Angela said, looking at her quizzically.

She went over to her jewellery box and opened the box that sat on top. "Booth gave me this necklace for Christmas." She said. "It matches my mother's earrings."

"Bren, this is beautiful." Angela said. "I can't believe you didn't jump him right then and there!"

"Angela!" she said, really shocked this time.

"This is perfect." Angela said. "Let's get your makeup and go back to Jeffersonian. We can get ready there."

She gathered up the rest of her stuff and headed out the door after Angela.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here's a nice, long chapter as a Christmas treat!!! Happy Holidays to Everyone!**

He pulled up in front of the Jeffersonian and slowly got out. 'Here we go.' He thought to himself. He walked into the building and nodded at the security guard. There was no one in the building and it felt eerie. He headed towards her office and stopped suddenly when he looked in the window. She was asleep in her chair, her long hair cascading around her. 'She looks beautiful.' He thought to himself. He loved seeing her like this, completely relaxed and calm. He moved towards the door and stepped in her office. He wasn't sure whether he should wake her or not. He didn't have time to make a decision. She suddenly opened her eyes, shot up and looked around.

'Oh god, Booth, I'm so sorry." She said. She started to smooth out her dress.

"Bones." He said, grabbing her hand to stop her frantic movements. "It's okay. It's only five after."

"I didn't get much sleep last night." She admitted.

"Yeah, me either." He replied. "So are you ready to go?"

"Absolutely." She said, grabbing her purse.

He put his hand on her back to guide her out of her office and was startled by his hand making contact with her skin. He felt her shiver uncontrollably and he had the urge to push her up against the wall and make love to her right there. 'Slowly.' He thought to himself. He led her out to the car.

"By the way." He whispered into her ear. "You look gorgeous."

He saw her blush and she whispered back "Thank you."

They got into the car and drove off. About fifteen minutes later, they arrived at what looked to her like a deserted alleyway.

"Booth where are we?" she asked.

"You'll see." He replied. "Come on."

She followed him out of the car and down the alleyway. They came to a stop in front of and old wooden door. He knocked on the door and waited for it to open. The door quickly opened and a short, balding man stepped out.

"Seeley." He cried, giving him a huge hug. "Come in, come in."

She stepped inside and looked around in shock. It was beautiful. There were clusters of small tables scattered throughout the room. A beautiful crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. It felt homey and elegant at the same time. "Wow." She said, looking awed.

"Is this her?" the man said, pointing at her.

"Yeah" Booth replied. "Frank Williams, meet Dr. Temperance Brennan. Bones this is Frank, owner of the best Italian restaurant in DC."

"Nice to meet you." Frank said, grasping her hand. "I've heard so much about you. Come in, I have your table ready. By the way." He said, nudging Booth. "Mary's on the warpath so watch.."

"Seeley Booth." A woman shouted, coming from the kitchen. "Some nerve you have coming in here after staying away for a month. I've a right mind to start making you peel potatoes."

"I'm sorry, Mary." Booth said looking sheepish. "It won't happen again."

"It better not." Mary said. "Now give me a hug."

Booth bent over and gave her a big hug. "Mary this is my friend, Dr. Temperance Brennan." He said, gesturing to Brennan.

"The bone lady?" Mary asked. "So you finally made a move eh, Seeley?"

Booth shuffled his feet and looked away, embarrassed.

"Well it is a pleasure to meet you." Mary said, shaking her hand.

"It's nice to meet you as well." She said.

"Frank show them to their table. I need to get back to the kitchen." Mary said, walking away.

"Right this way." Frank said, leading them past the cluster of tables. There was only seven or eight other people in the restaurant. He opened a curtain and revealed a back room with more tables. "You are right here. I will be back in a moment." He turned and headed out of the room.

"Thanks Frank." Booth said, heading over to the table. As they sat down, she started looking around again.

"I have questions." She said.

"You always have questions." Booth said, laughing.

"Hey!" she protested. "Just because I'm inquisitive.."

"And determined and focused and… beautiful." He said, reaching up and stroking her cheek.

"Booth." She said, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks again. What was it is about this man that made her keep blushing. She really needed to stop it, she probably looked like an idiot.

"So." He said, removing his hand and placing it on the table. "What are the questions?"

"First of all, where are we? I have never heard of this restaurant before."

"That's because it's a well kept secret. Frank and Mary basically run the restaurant for their friends and family." He replied.

"And they stay in business?" she asked.

"Bones, once you taste the food, you will have your answer to that. Now what are the other questions?" he said.

"Do you know everyone in this town? And why do they all know me?" she said.

Booth laughed. "Well, I've known Uncle Pete since I was nine."

"Is this when he caught you kissing behind the trees?" she said, smiling.

"I can't believe he told everyone that." He said, shaking his head. "But yeah. During the winter, I head over there with my hockey skates and skate around. It helps me keep my mind off things. Eventually, Pete brings some coffee or hot chocolate and we end up talking. As for Frank and Mary.."

"Talking about me again, Seeley." Frank said, as he stepped into the room. He was holding two wine glasses and a bottle of wine. "I hope you don't mind, but Mary took the pleasure of picking out the wine for you." He placed the glasses and the bottle on the table. "You like red, right?"

"How did you know?" she asked, surprised that a complete stranger would know her preference.

"Well, after working in a restaurant for over 25 years, you get a feeling about what different kinds of people like. And you my dear, are a red wine drinker." Frank said. "So what horrible lies was Seeley saying about me?"

"He was about to tell me how he met you." She replied.

"That was along time ago, wasn't it?" Frank said, looking at Booth.

"Yeah." Booth replied. "I met Mary in the grocery store, just after I started working for the FBI. I was picking up a frozen dinner when all of the sudden this voice behind me said 'Don't eat that garbage.' I turned around and there was Mary, hands on her hips looking at me like I was in trouble." Booth started to laugh. "Before I knew it, I was here, eating the most delicious pasta ever."

"You just went with her?" she asked.

"My wife can be very persuasive." Frank said, laughing. "All I remember was her stepping through the door with him standing behind her. She said that he was a nice FBI agent that she had met and that clearly he needed to be fed properly."

"And I have been eating here ever since." Booth said.

"Yes you have. Although I have to say, Mary is ecstatic that you finally brought someone with you. She's been after you for years to bring a woman in here." Frank said, smirking.

"Yeah well…" Booth trailed off.

"I will leave you two alone. Holler when you have decided what you want to eat." Frank said, heading out of the room.

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, his hand resting on top of hers.

"You didn't answer my last question." She said. "Why does everyone know me?"

"Because you know.. you tend to talk to people about the ones you love." he said.

"Booth.." she said, pulling her hand away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean.." he said, sitting back in his chair looking flustered. "What I meant was that you're my partner so they would know about you."

She picked up the menu, unsure of what to say. 'Just tell him you love him too.' The voice in her head said. But she couldn't. She knew she loved him. But saying it out loud meant that it was real, and she couldn't deal with that right now. There were too many factors to consider, too many problems. She looked at him and smiled faintly. "So, what are you having?" she said.

"Lasagne." Booth said automatically. "Mary makes the best lasagne. What about you?"

"Hmm, I think I am getting the tortellini." She replied, unconsciously licking her lips.

"Good choice." He replied. "Let me go tell Frank." He got up and headed out of the room, leaving her sitting there alone.

'Now what?' she thought to herself. She didn't know what to do. Of course, she had been on dates before, but they were usually with academic people. They would spend most of the date talking about anthropology and other such things. She had the sudden urge to find out everything she could about Booth. His favourite colour, his childhood memories. She was interrupted in her thoughts by Booth sitting back down.

"Order's in." he said. "It shouldn't be too long."

"Good, because I'm starving." She replied.

"I'm just glad I'm not having fries so you can't steal them." He said, laughing.

"I can't help it if yours are always better than mine." She replied. "So.. how was Christmas day?"

"It was the best." Booth said, his eyes shining. "Watching Parker wake up and see the milk and cookies and the presents Santa left him. It was…fantastic. The end of Christmas day wasn't so bad either." He said, grinning at her. "How about you?"

"It was good. Hodgins and Angela were nice. They didn't really force Christmas on me. It was definitely different then what I usually do. And yeah, the end of the day was good too." She said, shyly.

"I'm glad, Temperance." He said, placing his hand in hers. "So.. what do you want to talk about?"

"Umm, well.." she said, hesitating.

"Wait." He said, holding up his hand. "It can't be about work."

"I wasn't going to talk about work." She protested.

"Sorry." He said. "Go ahead."

"I just wanted to ask… I mean I realized that we don't know things about each other." She said.

"Bones, you probably know me better than anyone else." He replied, squeezing her hand.

"But we still don't know things. You know, favourite colour, favourite band, all of that." She said.

"Well, my favourite colour is blue and as for my favourite band, there are too many to like. However I am leaning heavily towards Foreigner.." he said.

"Booth!" she replied, laughing as she recalled the memory. She became serious and she thought about what had happened next.

"You got hurt. I thought.." she whispered.

"What?" he said, looking equally serious.

"I thought you left me." She said, unaware of the tear rolling down her cheek.

"I wouldn't do that Temperance." He said, raising his hand and wiping the tear away.

"You can't say that." She said.

He cupped her cheek and stared into her eyes. "Yes." He whispered. "Yes I can." They stared at each other for a few minutes until they were interrupted by Frank entering the room.

She pulled away from him and straightened up.

"Here we go." Frank said, placing the food in front of them. "I hope you like it."

Booth took a deep breath and smelled the lasagne. "Mmmmm" he said.

"How are you two doing for wine? Good?" Frank said.

"Excellent." She replied. "Thank you."

"Not a problem." Frank said, leaving them alone again.

She took one bite of her tortellini and almost moaned in delight. Booth wasn't kidding. This was the best she had ever had.

"Good huh?" he said, staring at her.

"Mmmm." She said in response. As they ate, they asked each other questions and talked and laughed like they normally did. She felt completely comfortable with him and all her first date insecurities drifted away.

"So, can we come here again?" she asked, taking the last bite of her tortellini.

"I don't know." he said smiling. "It depends on whether I can take you out for another date."

"Yeah I'd like that." She said, feeling shy again.

They finished their meal and headed back out the front of the restaurant, where Frank and Mary were sitting having a coffee.

"Mary that was delicious." Booth said, going over and giving her a hug.

"Yes it was fantastic." She said. "Thank you so much."

"Not a problem, honey." Mary said, giving her a hug. "It was worth it to see you here with Seeley." She turned to Booth. "Now Seeley, get that boy of yours in here, will you?"

"Absolutely." He replied as he shook Frank's hand. They waved goodbye and headed back out through the wooden door and to the car. When they got there, Booth put his hands on her arm to stop her from getting in the car.

"I just wanted to say thanks." He said, turning her towards him. "For going out on a date with me. For giving this a chance."

"Your welcome." She replied. She moved closer to him and pressed her lips against his. The kiss deepened and soon they were up against the car furiously making out. They parted for air, and she stared into his eyes. "Seeley.." she said, trailing off. She had the sudden urge to listen to his heart beat and she lowered her head and pressed it against his chest. They stood like that for a while.

"I… I.." she said. She wanted to tell him about everything that she was feeling and how it scared her. Being with him made her feel like she never wanted to be alone again. And for someone who had spent her life practicing to be alone, that was a big deal.

"Shush." He said, brushing a lock of hair off her face. "I know." He lifted her head up and kissed her again. They both reluctantly pulled away.

"I guess we should go." She said, shakily.

"Yeah, we have to work tomorrow unfortunately." Booth replied.

They got into the car and he drove her back to her apartment. He was the perfect date, walking her to the door and placing a kiss on her lips.

"See you tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah." She replied. She watched him get into his car and drive off and then headed into her apartment, already anticipating seeing him tomorrow.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! Only two chapters left!**

Booth walked into the Jeffersonian and noticed the squints milling around waiting. "Hey guys." He said, looking them over. Zach and Hodgins were both in similar looking tuxes and Angela was in a very pretty blue dress. "Angela, you look fantastic." He said.

"Thanks Booth." Angela said, smiling. "You look like James Bond in that tux!"

"Excuse me?" Hodgins piped up. "I think you're MY girlfriend." He said, looking at Angela.

She started laughing and kissed Hodgins on the forehead. "Sorry about that." She replied.

"So who are we waiting for?" he asked.

"We are waiting on Dr. Brennan." Cam said, coming up to them. "I am not sure where she is."

As if by magic, Brennan appeared, striding across the platform and squinting at an x-ray. "Zach." She started. "This doesn't make sense."

She was wearing her lab coat however he could see the end of her dress underneath it. He idly wondered what the rest of the dress looked like.

"Unfortunately it will have to wait." Cam said. "The limo is waiting."

She looked up and saw everyone looking at her. "Right." She said, putting the x-ray down and heading over to where they were.

"You wearing your lab coat to dinner, Bones?" he said, laughing.

"What?" she said, confused. "Oh right." She peeled off the lab coat and placed it on the stool beside her.

"Damn, Temperance." He said before he could stop himself. She looked gorgeous. She was wearing a strapless floor length dress. The top was a corset and accentuated her body in all the right places. It was dark green and brought out the colour in both her eyes and her hair. He could have stood there and stared at her all night. He broke his gaze away and turned to the others, noticing that they were staring too.

"What?" she asked. "Is there something wrong?" she said, touching her dress to make sure it was alright.

"You look perfect." He replied, trying to act nonchalant. They all headed out the doors together. He looked at her again and groaned inwardly. He just wanted to grab her and kiss her and he couldn't. 'This is going to be a long night.' He thought to himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They arrived at the banquet hall and headed inside. She tried to control the flush in her cheeks when he had grabbed her hand and helped her out of the limo. She had never been with a man whose simple touch could bring her to her knees. She had seen the way he had looked at her when she took her lab coat off earlier. She couldn't help looking at him too. He looked good. So good that all rational thoughts flew out of her mind and she almost grabbed him and kissed him. But they both kept their emotions under control.

Part of her believed that this would end when they had sex. After all, Angela kept rattling on about their sexual tension and how they needed to relieve it. She had thought that when it was relieved, the spark would die. But it just made it worse. And now she knew that she was really in love with him. This didn't bother her as much as the side effects of this love, one of them being the urge to tell everyone that they were together. And she wanted to tell him that she loved him. When he had practically said it in the restaurant, she had freaked out. But the last few days he had made her feel like she had never felt before. Like she belonged to him and he belonged to her. She shook her head and tried to focus on what was going on around her.

"You okay?" he whispered into her ear as he squeezed her hand under the table.

"Yeah, why?" she replied.

"You just looked a little serious there, that's all." He said, smiling at her.

"Stop it." She said, keeping her voice hushed.

"Stop what?" he said innocently.

"Stop using your charm smile on me. Let's just get through tonight so we can go home, okay?" she replied.

"K." he said and then turned and started talking to Cam. She turned to Zach and soon they were in deep discussion about new forensic techniques.

She didn't even hear Booth call her name. "Bones? Bones?" he said.

"What?" she said, turning towards him and seeing Cullen and his wife standing beside her chair. "Oh sorry, I didn't hear you."

"Apparently not." Booth smirked.

"Dr. Brennan." Cullen said. "It's good to see you again."

"The same to you." She said, rising out of her chair and shaking his hand.

"You remember my wife Laura?" Cullen said.

"Yes, hi how are you?" she said to Laura.

"I'm okay. How are you enjoying the evening?" Laura said.

"Well it's not too bad right now." She replied. "But after dinner, it will get worse."

"Worse?" Laura questioned.

"Yes, that's when us scientists get paraded around to all of the major donors and I have to answer never ending questions about what I do all while making it sound … romantic, I guess. And I get asked ridiculous questions about my book." She said.

"I promise I won't ask you ridiculous questions." Laura said, smiling.

"We should get to our seats." Cullen said. "It looks like they are serving dinner."

"Dinner is always good." She said. She could feel her stomach growling.

As they left, Booth leaned over to her. "So how long after dinner do we have to stay?" he whispered, touching her leg.

"Booth!" she said, pulling away from him and making sure no one saw.

"Sorry." He said, giving her his charm smile again.

'Oh god.' She thought to herself. 'This night will never end.'

She was about to take the last bite of her dessert when Dr. Goodman walked up to her, a woman following behind him.

"Dr. Brennan, I would like to introduce you to Amelia Thorpe, one of the Jeffersonian's generous donors." Dr. Goodman said.

She sighed inwardly. "Nice to meet you." She said, extending her hand.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine." Amelia replied. "I just love your books. Although I wish they had a little less crime in them, you know the bones and stuff? I love Kathy and Andy though."

"Umm, thanks." She replied, trying to sound sincere.

"Well, Amelia why don't we go say hi to the Klein's over there and leave Dr. Brennan to her meal." Dr. Goodman said, gesturing across the room.

"Absolutely." Amelia replied.

"When you are done, Dr. Brennan, I have some people who would like to meet you." Dr. Goodman said before walking off.

"Dr. Brennan." Cam said. "Did she just ell you your books had too much crime in them?"

"Surprisingly that will not be the most ridiculous question I get asked tonight." She replied.

"I an see why you don't like coming to these things." Booth said.

"Yeah, well there's only so many times you can be made to feel like a freak in a fancy outfit." She replied.

"Amen to that!" Hodgins said. "Once they hear what you do for a living they look at you weird. And then they give you the pity look."

"Well I am going to get this over with." She said, rising from the table.

"We all should." Angela said.

The squints headed off in various directions, ready to start the torture.

1 hour later.

Booth sat in his chair at the now empty table and watched Temperance as she talked to yet another person. He could see by the way she held herself that she was uncomfortable with whatever was being said. He just wanted to go over there and put his arm around her waist so that at least she would be a bit comfortable. He let out a sigh. Pretending not to be a couple was a lot harder than he thought it would be. They had barely spoken during dinner, he got the feeling that she was slightly miffed that he kept touching her. So he had chatted with Cam and Hodgins and ate his dinner and listened to the extremely boring speeches. The band had started playing and he noticed Hodgins and Angela dancing in the centre of the floor. He turned his attention back to Bones, where she was still talking with the same person. 'She looks beautiful' he thought to himself. Not that she didn't always look beautiful. Even in the morning when her hair was messy and she wasn't wearing makeup. He thought back to yesterday morning, when he had woken up with her in his arms. She was sound asleep, her head pressed to his chest and a hint of a smile on her lips. He had felt completely content.

"Earth to Booth." Angela said. He shook his head and turned around, seeing Angela sitting next to him.

"Sorry, Angela, what?" He said.

"Umm, you might want to make it less obvious, Booth. You have been staring at her forever." Angela said, with a grin on her face.

"Damn, you are right. Do you think anyone noticed?" he said, looking around.

"I don't think so." Angela replied. "But they are going to figure it out eventually. You two can't keep this a secret forever."

"I know Angela." Booth said. "But this thing between us is really new and I don't want to jeopardize it. I don't want Temperance to get freaked out."

"I wish there is something that I could do." Angela said.

He suddenly had a thought. He turned to Angela and smiled. "Actually Angela, there is one thing you can do for me."

"What's that?" she replied.

"You could dance with me." He said.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Here we go! Finally chapter will be up tomorrow! Thanks for the reviews!**

She had just finished talking to another donor and turned to head back to her table. After over an hour's worth of stupid questions, she needed a break. She looked over at the dance floor and saw Booth dancing with Cam. Her stomach did flip flops as she tried to ignore the feeling of jealousy within. 'Why was he dancing with her?' she thought to herself. She tried to turn away, but she couldn't. Cam was laughing at something, she didn't know what. She did however notice that Booth wasn't really laughing back. That made her feel better.

"Don't worry." She heard a voice in hear ear say.

"What?" she turned and saw Angela next to her.

"Don't worry about Booth. He is just dancing with her to save face. He just finished dancing with me. He said that when it came time to dance with you, then it wouldn't look so obvious." Angela said.

She exhaled, not realizing that she was holding her breath. "Oh." She said. "That makes logical sense."

"And if it makes you feel better, when we were dancing he talked about you the entire time." Angela said, grinning. "That man is head over heels in love with you."

"Ange, keep your voice down." She said, looking around.

"Sweetie, let's go outside for a moment." Angela replied. "We really need to talk about this."

She followed Angela out into the lobby where they proceeded to sit down on a plush velvet couch.

"You need to tell people." Angela said.

"Ange.." she started.

"No, Bren, you know you can't keep it hidden forever." Angela said. "And hiding it makes it look dishonest."

"Angela, I'm not trying to be dishonest. But at the same time there are a lot of factors to consider.." she trailed off.

"No there isn't!" Angela said. "Do you love him?"

"Ange, what?" she said, startled.

"Do you love him?" she asked again. "Because if you do, then the rest of this shouldn't matter."

"It shouldn't but it does." She replied. "Look Ange, I don't want to talk about this. Seeley and I will figure it out."

Angela started giggling.

"What?" she asked.

"Sorry, sweetie." Angela said. "I have just never heard you call Booth, Seeley before. It sounds weird."

"Thanks Ange." She said, rolling her eyes. "Now can we just go back inside?"

"Yes, we can." Angela said. "But you two need to be more discreet. From the way you've been staring at each other, it's a wonder everyone doesn't know."

They headed back to their table where Cam, Zach, Hodgins and Cullen were sitting.

"I hope you don't mind." Cullen said, as they sat down. "But we decided to join you."

"I don't mind at all." She said, taking a sip of her wine. "Where's Laura?"

"Dancing with Agent Booth." Cullen said, pointing to the dance floor.

She sat and watched Booth twirl Laura around the floor. When the song was over, they headed back to the table.

"Thanks for the dance Agent Booth." Laura said, as she sat down next to her husband.

"Anytime." Booth said, flashing a smile and sitting down. She saw him turn to her as if he was going to ask her something, when a cellphone starting ringing.

"Who would bring a cellphone to a ball?" Cam asked.

She reached into her purse to grab her cellphone at the exact time as Booth was grabbing his.

"Booth."

"Brennan."

It was Booth's cellphone ringing and she saw his eyes light up as he walked away from the table. 'It must be Parker.' She thought to herself as she tucked her cellphone back into her purse.

"Sweetie, you brought your cellphone?" Angela asked.

"Yes." She said. "What if there was an emergency or a body or something?"

"Oh god." Angela replied. "Please don't tell me you have latex gloves in your purse."

She blushed slightly. "It's good to be prepared." She stated. "Besides I am with Booth. The fact that we haven't seen a body yet tonight is highly irregular." Everyone started laughing.

She saw Booth heading back to the table. "Hey guys." He said. "Parker wants to say goodnight." He held the phone out while Angela, Hodgins and Zach all said goodnight into the phone.

"What?" Booth said. "Yeah, she is here. Hold on." He turned and handed the phone to her. "He wants to say goodnight to you."

She took the phone and held it against her ear.

"Dr. Bones?" she heard Parker say.

"Yes." She replied.

"I'm staying up to watch the ball drop!" Parker said, excitedly.

"Wow, that's neat." She said.

"And I wanted to tell you goodnight and I miss you Dr. Bones!" Parker said.

"Well, I miss you too Parker." She replied, unaware of the looks she received from around the table.

"Are you going to kiss Daddy and tell him you love him?" Parker asked.

"What?" she sputtered.

"Mommy says that at New Year's you tell people that you love them and you kiss them." Parker said. "So are you going to?"

"Oh, well, I.." she replied.

"You have to Dr. Bones!" Parker said. "It's the rules!"

She paused for a moment. "You know what Parker?" she said.

"What?" he replied.

"I think I will." She said, feeling her cheeks colour again. "Now let me give you back to your dad."

"K." Parker said. "I love you Dr. Bones!"

"Ahh…I love you too Parker." She replied. She handed the phone back to Booth and immediately took a big drink of wine.

After an awkward moment, the chatter began at the table again. Booth finished talking to Parker and turned to her. "What rules?" he asked.

"What?" she replied, pretending to look confused.

"Parker said you were going to follow some rules or something. I wasn't sure what he meant." Booth said.

"Umm…nothing." She replied.

"Really?" he said, looking skeptical. "You know I am going to find out."

"Well you won't find out from me!" she replied, knowing fully well she would tell him later. 'Or at least show him later.' She thought to herself.

"Come on." He pleaded.

"No!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms.

"Hmmm, I could sit here and question you." He said. "But I have a better idea. Would you like to dance?" He stood up and held out his hand.

"Sure." She replied, trying sound as if it was an everyday occurrence and failing. She forced herself not to look at Angela as she took his hand and headed to the dance floor. A song started and they began to dance.

'_The very thought of you_

_And I forget to do_

_The little ordinary things_

_Everyone ought to do.'_

She felt his arm pull her closer and she had the urge to rest her head against his shoulder. Instead, she stared straight ahead, not looking at him for fear that she would kiss him if she did.

"I've wanted to do this all night." He breathed into her ear.

"Me too." She replied. She tilted her head and stared into his eyes. All of the sudden everything and everyone fell away. She could only see and feel him. They twirled around the dance floor, blissfully unaware of the other couples dancing.

_'I see your face in every flower_

_You're eyes in stars above._

_It's just the thought of you._

_The very thought of you._

_My love.'_

As they danced, she wondered how everyone didn't know. She felt sure that it emanated from every pore in her body that she loved him.

"Let me tell you." He said, breaking his gaze. "Dancing with Cam wasn't this much fun. I saw you watching us, you know. And then Angela dragged you somewhere. What was that about?"

"None of your business." She replied, as he spun her away from him and then pulled her back.

"You looked jealous." He said, smiling.

"I wasn't jea…" she stopped. The truth is that she was. "Well, you didn't let me in on the plan!" she said, frowning at him.

"Okay, enough arguing." He said. "Let's just dance." He spun her again and pulled her back and dipped her as the song came to an end. He had such a funny look on his face that she couldn't stop laughing.

"What's so funny?" he said, neither of them realizing that the song was over and they were still holding on to each other.

"You, trying to be all suave. It's funny." She replied.

He pulled away from her and let go.

"Thanks for the dance." She said.

"You're welcome, Temperance." He replied.

Her body gave a little shiver as he said her name. She turned and headed back to the table where everyone was watching.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Last Chapter! So sad! Luckily there's three sequels left! The next story, entitled Repercussions, will be up tomorrow so keep a lookout for it! Thanks for all the reviews. I hope you enjoy!**

It was getting close to midnight. He had danced with her twice more and both times were perfect. Of course he had to watch her dance with both Hodgins and Zach, the latter being very amusing. Right now she was talking to Cullen and laughing. She looked like she was having a good time. At least people weren't bothering her anymore. He had been privy to some of the stupid questions she received throughout the night and he now realized why she didn't like talking about her book very much.

He thought about what had transpired over the last seven days. He could scarcely believe it. 'Now if we could only tell everyone.' He thought to himself. He understood her hesitation, he was worried himself. Cullen could split them up and Cam…well she could make things difficult. Although it's not like it was an angry breakup or anything. They just stopped sleeping together. They didn't even have a conversation about it.

He allowed himself to look over at her again. She was perfect. He loved all the little oddities about her such as her lack of pop culture awareness. He loved her focus and her drive although she could be too single minded at times.

He loved how she was with Parker. Clearly his son picked up on it too, telling her that he loved her on the phone. He was surprised that Parker said that, but was floored when she had responded, saying she loved him too.

And here they were at the Jeffersonian's New Year's Ball and he couldn't even kiss her at midnight. They would have to watch everyone else and pretend that it was the furthest thing from their minds. They would probably give each other a platonic kiss on the cheek. At least then they could leave and he could show her how he was really feeling all evening.

He sighed and looked around the table. Hodgins and Angela were doing some intense flirting. Zach was talking to one of the lab techs and Cam was on the dance floor with some guy.

He felt a nudge in his side and looked over seeing her and Cullen staring at him.

"What?" he said, confused.

"I was just commenting to Dr. Brennan that you two have solved the most cases compared to the others in the office." Cullen said.

"Really?" he replied. "Well, Dr. Brennan is an excellent partner sir."

"How did you become partners?" Laura asked.

"Bones consulted on one of my cases." He said.

"In which I didn't get credit." She interrupted. "And then when I came back from Guatemala, he put in a hold for questioning request and had Homeland Security attack me."

"I believe you did the attacking." He said. "Besides it got you to work with me right? Of course you blackmailed me then shot the killer with alcohol on your breath."

"He was comprising evidence!" she replied, huffily.

"Anyway" he said, trying not to continue the argument. "We've worked together ever since."

Laura started laughing. "That is priceless." She said.

"What's priceless?" Cam said as she sat down.

"Oh just the story of how Bones and I started working together." He replied.

"Frankly, it's adorable." Laura said.

"Laura, you can't use the word adorable when it comes to the FBI. We do have a reputation to protect." Cullen said, a hint of a smile on his face.

She watched as the waiters put bottles of champagne on the tables.

"It must be getting close to midnight." Cullen said.

"Thank goodness." She muttered.

"You aren't having a good time?" Laura asked.

"No I am." She said. "I've just been up since five am. I had a 200 year old Incan warrior I had to examine. And I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"I thought you only did work with the FBI." Laura asked.

"No the cases I do with the FBI are usually in addition to my regular work." She replied.

"That's impressive. I was unaware of that Dr. Brennan." Cullen said.

"It's no big deal." She replied. "I like to work."

"Okay, okay." Hodgins said, interrupting. "I think it's about time we reveal our New Year's resolutions. Let's crack open that champagne!."

"So who starts?" Angela asked, grabbing her champagne. "How about you Cam?"

"I don't usually make New Year's resolutions. But let me see…I resolve to spend one day a week not thinking about the lab." Cam said.

"Ha!" Hodgins replied. "Good luck with that. Well I resolve to spend lots of time with my new girlfriend."

"That's not a resolution!" Angela said. "We see each other at work every day. I guess my resolution is less chocolate?"

"Zach what about you?" Cam said.

"Umm, I would like to live up to my new title." Zach said.

"Dude, you should have resolved to learn how to drive." Hodgins said.

"Leave him alone." Angela said. "What about you Booth?"

"I resolve to work things out with Rebecca so I can see Parker more." Booth replied, not daring to say more for fear that he would blurt what he really wanted to say. 'I resolve to love Temperance Brennan for the rest of my life and protect her and never let her be hurt again.' He said silently to himself.

"That's a good resolution." Angela said.

"Yeah, we will see if it works." He replied. "How about you, Laura?"

"I think I might have to go with Angela on this one. I have a serious chocolate problem." Laura said, laughing.

"Well I will resolve to hide the chocolate from you then." Cullen said.

"What about you Bren?" Angela said, her eyes twinkling.

"I resolve to follow the rules and follow my heart." She said.

"A specific rule?" Zach asked. "Or rules in general?"

"It's something Parker said." Booth replied. "But she won't tell me."

"You're right, I won't." she said, a stubborn look on her face.

"Anyway, here's to all our resolutions and let's hope they come true." Hodgins said, raising his glass. They all did the same and clinked glasses with each other. The music died down and the host stepped up to the microphone.

"Ladies and gents," he said. "There is one minute till midnight. We will begin the countdown shortly." A buzz of excitement was in the air.

She turned to him. This was it. This was the time to tell him what her heart had known since the day they met. Her stomach flip flopped and she could feel her heart pounding.

"Listen, at the restaurant…" she started.

"Don't worry about it." He replied, keeping his voice low so no one would hear. "I didn't mean to say… we are going slow."

"Booth…." She started.

"Temperance, it's okay." He said softly.

"Not it's not." She said loudly. Everyone at the table turned to look at her, but she didn't care.

"It's not okay because…. because…" she sputtered. 'Dammit, why couldn't she form the words?'

"Bones, I…" he said. His voice was drowned out by the host.

"10 seconds….9…..8" the host said.

"Look, just…" he started to say. All eyes were on them now.

"6….5…" the host said.

"No! Listen to me." She said, smacking her hand on the table. "It's….I…I love you." She felt a tear roll down her cheek.

"2….1…" the host shouted.

"I'm in love with you." She said. And with that she cupped his cheeks with her hands and she kissed him.

She didn't hear the cheering when the new year began. She didn't see Cullen's mouth drop or Cam's eyes narrow. She didn't see Hodgins and Zach high five each other , or Angela start crying. However she would hear all about it the next day from a very excited Angela.

When her lips met his, it all floated away. There was only him and her. She snaked her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She could feel the tears on his face as well and they each gripped on to each other, trying to get closer, even though it wasn't physically possible. And in that one moment she knew that she would spend the rest of her life loving him.

The End.


End file.
